Basketball Game Preview: Hayfork Timberjacks vs. Big Valley Cardinals

Hayfork is on a 13-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Big Valley is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Hayfork Timberjacks just played last yesterday, but they'll still welcome the Big Valley Cardinals at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

Hayfork is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Redding Christian just ended the team's six-game winning streak on Thursday. They took a blow against the Lions, falling 69-32. The match marked the Timberjacks' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Meanwhile, Big Valley was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Monday as they fell 60-55 to Tulelake.

Hayfork will need focus on slowing down Connor Kenobbie, one of several Big Valley players who made an impact when they last played. He dropped a double-double on 12 points and 18 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Josue Barba, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 12 boards.

Big Valley's defeat was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 6-4. As for Hayfork, their loss dropped their record down to 13-4.

Everything came up roses for Hayfork against Big Valley when the teams last played back in February of 2024, as the team secured a 66-23 victory. Will Hayfork repeat their success, or does Big Valley have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.